Broken (A Walking Dead/Daryl fanfiction)

Chapter 15

Daryl pushed me in front of him roughly and yelled at me to run. I was worried he would get caught in the herd of walkers, but I also knew he wouldn't take no for an answer and we didn't have time to argue.
So, instead I grabbed his hand and ran next to him, forcing my legs to match his long running strides. His hand was sweaty, and shaking slightly. I wanted to squeeze his fingers in reassurance, but even I didn't know if we were going to make it out of this alive.

The prison was sick. Everyone was coughing, bleeding, sweating; sicker than anything I've ever seen before. Me and Daryl are on a run to find any medicine. Rick and Carol went too, but in a different direction. Maggie stayed to watch the prison. She didn't have the heart to leave Glenn, her father, or her sister.
Jess lay ill in quarantine, coughing up blood and sweating so much you'd think he'd just ran a marathon. But he hasn't moved in days. He was one of the first infected with the illness. I gave  him a vaccine from my stash in hopes it would help him, and I honestly think it's the only thing that has kept him alive this long, but it's not enough. What's worse is when the infected die, they turn; and we have to make sure they don't turn.

So now I'm running with Daryl down a street in a small town. At least 30 walkers trail behind us. I think we are outrunning them by a little, but we won't last for long. A corner came up, and I pulled Daryl along with me. The walkers turned with us seconds later.
"If you've got any strength left in you, it would be good to use it now." I said to Daryl between breaths. His chest heaved and his legs moved faster. I could see the pain in his face. I matched his speed with difficulty, and again pulled him around a corner. My chest heaved, my eyesight began to get blurry, and my head pounded along with my legs. We were now about 20 seconds ahead of them. That was enough. I pushed to my absolute limit, yanking Daryl along with me, and ran into a door shoulder first. It popped open, and after running in with Daryl I closed it fast but soft, pushing a metal desk in front as a barrier. The desk had these sticky cloth things on the legs so it didn't make any noise as I pushed it along the ground. We paused for a moment, breathing heavily.

Did the walkers know where we went? Do they know we're in here?

I heard groans and turned towards the window. I dropped and pulled Daryl along with me, not wanting them to see us. They shuffled aimlessly outside. Instead of crouching, I turned and sat on my bottom. Daryl did the same. His chest heaved in rhythm with mine. The muscles in our legs tingled with exhaustion.
"Are you ok?" He asked between breaths. I chuckled softly.
"Just peachy." His breathy laugh made my skin prickle. Even in the state that we're in he makes my heart flutter. This man will be the death of me.

That's if the walkers don't find us.

"Once I've got my breath back, I'll find another way out." He tells me.

After a moment he leans over and kisses me on the cheek before standing. I smile at him as he walks behind a wall and into a doorway. I hear his footsteps retreat further away. Now all that is left to listen to is my breathing, and the groans of the walkers outside. My backpack that has a handful of medicines in it sits next to me, my knife sits on my other side, covered in dull blood. I look at my surroundings, wondering if anything in the building could be of any use. I see a white box with a faded red cross on the wall and pick myself up to open it. Calmly and quietly, I snapped back the latches and opened the door to the container, wincing as it makes a slight creaking sound. After a moment of silence I determine it is safe to continue and dig around the box. I find aspirin tablets and bandages. Some antiseptic wipes are scattered around the shelves within the box. I see other ointments and things, determining them useless but grabbing them anyway just in case. Hershel may want them.
I take in a sharp breath and close my eyes.

If Hershel is still alive when I get back.

Shaking my head to the side, I strap my bag to my back and follow after Daryl. As I look through the rooms, I realize that this place was once a daycare. I was lucky the door in the back was unlocked. I enter a room that has cribs and a sky blue wall. The stench is unbearable but something tells me to continue forward. I hear a slight creak in the floor and clutch my knife, spinning around. I'm met with a white closet door. I step quietly toward it, careful not to make a sound. My hand closes around the door knob; I turn it. I swing it open as fast as I can and hold my knife steady. I'm met with darkness in front of me. Confused, I look down. I see big brown eyes look back up at me. Her blonde hair was matted and dirty. Her skin was dark, but I suspect from dirt and not the sun. The moment my eyes meet hers I freeze.

Eve.
She's alive? No. She can't be. I saw her. I saw her dead on the table.

My brain focuses to the dark of the closet and I see that this child is not my sister. A tang of disappointment and guilt swam through me, but I lowered myself down to the child's eye level anyway.
"Please don't hurt me." She whispers quietly, clutching a blanket in her small hands.
"Oh honey I'm not here to hurt you. Are you alone?" I ask her. She nods her head.
"The bad man took my mama." She must not have been more than 5.
"The bad man?" She simply nods.
"Okay, honey, I'm going to take you with me. Is that ok?" She looks scared for a moment.
"I'm not here to hurt you. My name is Vienna. What's yours?" Her face twists in confusion at my name before she answers.
"Sue."
"That's a beautiful name for a beautiful girl. Will you come with me? I'll take care of you." She looks ready to come with, but she hesitates as she looks up. I turn behind my shoulder and see Daryl standing there, his crossbow on his shoulder and his face serious.
"Daryl put it down you're scaring her." He puts it down. I turn back to Sue.
"Sue. That's Daryl, he won't hurt you either. Actually both of us are here to protect you." She still looks scared.
"Tell you what, if you come with me, I can show you the doggies I have. Would you like that?" I see a small smile and she holds up her hand to me. I smile back at her and lift her up into my arms.
"My mama says that doggies only like good people." I smile at her.
"You have a smart mama." Daryl interrupts before she says anything else.
"We gotta go. Before the..." He looks at the girl,"before the bad smelling people turn the corner." Sue giggles slightly. I hike my bag up higher onto my shoulder and follow after him. As we walk out I think of something.
"Sue honey, did your mommy work here?" She nods.
"Do you know if mommy kept any medicine in the place? Any orange or glass bottles?" She nods and points to a room to my left. I practically throw her at Daryl.
"Take her. If anything happens you get her to safety. I'll meet you at the gas station at the end of town. If I'm not there in two hours you leave." His face looks expressionless, but I know better. I see the pain and sadness in his eyes.
"Daryl!" I yell as quiet as I can. He is still frozen.
"Move damnit!" He stomps toward me fast as lightning and kisses me roughly, careful to not crush Sue. I kiss back immediately and then push him away. He nods once and heads out the front door. I already see a few walkers go after him, but at least it's not the whole herd. He can handle them. I run into the room Sue pointed to and see a woman on the ground, her pants down and her shirt thrown to the corner. Her panties are ripped, as is her bra. There is blood centered around her private area, and a bullet hole in the middle of her forehead.

The bad man took my mama.

Who's the bad man?

Sues voice rings in my head. The bastard did this to her. With a tear escaped down my cheek, I run to the cabinets and find some medicine and bandages in them. I stuff as much as I can into my bag. The last cabinet contains a blanket. I look over to the woman and decide I should cover her up. Mostly because I respect her. She protected her daughter against anything and everything. I can admire that.

I pull her pants up as much as I can and then cover her with the blanket I found. Nodding my head in approval, I head to the exit where Daryl left with Sue. There are more walkers than before, but I quickly calculate that I can take them with my sword. I unsheathe it from my back and walk out the door. Immediately four walkers take interest in me, and I quickly swipe my blade through their heads. Oddly enough, the movement soothes me. I haven't had the chance to use my blade in a while.
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Hey guys! We're getting more and more reads and I'm so excited!! Feel free to comment any thoughts or suggestions. I'd like to hear from some people!

So...Sue is here. That's fun. Daryls being protective and all the shtuff. That's even more fun.

Sorry I haven't updated more! Sorry this is a short chapter!
Sorry if there are mistakes!

-Bethany

P.S. MERRY CHRISTMAS